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General FAQ
- Are schools required to test for dyslexia if a parent requests it?
Q: I believe my 9 year old daughter has dyslexia, but the public school did not test for it adequately. Q: Are schools required to test for dyslexia if a parent requests it? A: No, schools are NOT required to test a child for dyslexia. They are only required to test a child to determine if that child is struggling badly enough to qualify for special education. They are NOT required to say WHY the child is struggling. Many children with dyslexia don't qualify for special education. And a few of the children who qualify for special education in the category of LD (Learning Disability) or SLD (Specific Learning Disability) are not dyslexic. It is critical that PARENTS know why their child is struggling -- so that they can read the research and determine the best way to help. Otherwise, parents may waste years -- and thousands of dollars -- doing the wrong thing. And the child falls further behind. If a child struggles in spelling, writing, or reading, and has 3 or more of the warning signs, that child probably has dyslexia. - He's got dyslexia. Now what?
 
Q: My 10 year old son was just diagnosed with dyslexia. What do I do now?
A: A child with dyslexia needs 2 things:
1. Tutoring
One-on-one tutoring, at least twice a week, for an hour each time, by someone who is certified in one of the Orton-Gillingham-based systems such as The Wilson Reading System.
2. Classroom Accommodations
Until your child's reading, spelling, and writing skills reach grade level, your child MUST receive classroom accommodations in order to succeed at school.
Classroom accommodations are things the regular teacher does, in the regular classroom, so that your child can learn and prove his knowledge -- despite not yet reading, writing or spelling at grade level.
If a child has qualified for Special Education, and therefore has an I.E.P., all necessary classroom accommodations should be written into his I.E.P. If they are not on his I.E.P., ask for a meeting to revise his I.E.P.
If a child is not in Special Education, the child can still get classroom accommodations through a 504 Plan. You will usually need a written diagnostic report from an independent tester to get a 504 Plan. The classroom accommodations must be included in the recommendations section of that written report.
- Help for Adults?
Q: I'm 43, and I often have trouble with math, spelling, and reading, especially out loud. I was wondering if there is anything that could be done. Q: I am 32. As my career goes farther, I continue to find roadblocks that I just can't seem to get past. I have more than 80% of the symptoms. What can be done now?
Q: I have felt dumb my entire life. Now I think I have figured it out. I think I may be dyslexic. How do I know for sure?
Q: I am 23. I can't read. I think I have dyslexia. Is there a place I can go? Q: I have a friend who is 47 and was a senior in college before he was diagnosed with dyslexia. He was told to change his major but dropped out of school instead. He has never received any help. He says he also has ADD. He is at a point in his life where he sees himself as a total failure with no hope. Tell me what to do. He is a creative and wonderful man, and I would like to help him.
Q: I have dyslexia. As I am getting older, I find it is getting worse. All my life I have been able to hide it. Now I can't. I am 29 and find it even harder to remember numbers. I have difficulty spelling words. I'm finding it frustrating and embarrassing. I feel very ashamed even though close friends say I shouldn't. Can you help?
A: Adults with dyslexia need two things: 1. Strategies or accommodations to work around their weak areas. For example, NaturallySpeaking software allows an adult to dictate into a microphone. The software types what you say into the computer, spelled correctly. Or you can hire a professional organizer to help set up easy-to-maintain systems. 2. Tutoring to improve their reading, spelling and writing skills. It is NEVER too late to greatly improve the reading, spelling or writing skills of someone with dyslexia. Free tutoring may be available. Adult literacy programs exist in most major cities at the public library. If you are older than 18 and read at less than an 8th grade level, they will provide a volunteer tutor to work with you twice a week, at the library, free. But be careful. Only a few adult literacy programs are prepared for adults with dyslexia. So when you call, say, "I have dyslexia. Do your tutors use an Orton-Gillingham-based system?" The Wilson Reading System is one of the most well-known systems in adult literacy programs. If the adult literacy program does NOT use Wilson, (or one of the other Orton-Gillingham-based systems), DO NOT GO. To find an adult literacy program in your area, call your local public library. - Help in College?
Q: I'm 19 and attending college. I have problems in reading and writing. Is there any way you could help me before I decide that school is not right for me? Q: I'm 40 and I have dyslexia. I want so badly to teach. I did teach for almost 3 years at a vocational school. I loved it, but I was laid off because I didn't have a BA. So I have to go college, but I know it will be very hard. Q: I'm 23 and in my 5th year of college. I want to be a teacher, but I have a huge problem with reading and spelling. I have always found a way to get around any problem despite my dyslexia. But I only have a year left in school before the teacher credentialing test. Can you help? A: Most colleges have a Students With Disabilities office. Go there and ask to be tested for a Learning Disability. Or if you had an IEP in high school, or you have a recent written diagnostic report, bring it with you. The Students With Disabilities office will test you. The testing is free. If the test shows you have a Learning Disability, then the staff at that office will arrange for classroom accommodations, such as a notetaker in class, textbooks on audiotape, oral testing, access to computers with NaturallySpeaking or a Kurzweil Reading Machine, etc. They may even offer special Study Skills classes. You can succeed in college, and graduate, with these types of accommodations. So don't delay. Go find that office TODAY and get started. - Is Dyslexia Genetic?
Q: About 14 years ago, I discovered my husband is dyslexic. Neither he nor his family ever realized it. (He thought he was dumb.) Of course, he turned out to be a wonderful individual, so I married him, we had children, and now my eldest daughter shows the classic signs of dyslexia. Q: I have an 11 year old daughter who is very bright, but she has such a difficult time learning. I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 6 years old. Q: I'm 44, and I'm sure I have dyslexia. My 10 year old daughter is now having the same problems I did when I was in school. I need to have her tested but cannot find a place to do it. The school says they don't test for dyslexia. A: Dyslexia is an inherited condition. According to the researchers, if one parent has dyslexia (and the other does not), 50% of their children will have dyslexia. If both parents have dyslexia, then all of their children are likely to have it. So if either parent has dyslexia, and their child is struggling in the areas of writing, spelling, or reading, please get that child tested for dyslexia. A professional tester from OUTSIDE the school system can detect dyslexia in a child as young as five and a half. - Is it Dyslexia or ADD?
Q: My 11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 8. She is now in special education and struggling with reading and spelling. She exhibits many of the warning signs of dyslexia, yet none of her school evaluations mention dyslexia. Q: My son did not qualify for Special Education, but he scored low in decoding, rapid naming, and phonemic awareness. He is working with a Reading Specialist at school. He has many of the warning signs of dyslexia. But the school says his problems are due to ADD. His teacher filled out a Connors behavior checklist, and I have an appointment with his pediatrician. Could he have both dyslexia and ADD? Q: My son has struggled with reading since first grade. We've tried the Phonics Game (which didn't help), he's been to a Score Tutoring Center (which also didn't help), and his first grade teacher arranged for him to be tested for Special Education, but he didn't qualify. Now his second grade teacher is pushing us to get him tested for ADD/ADHD. A: A child can have just dyslexia, just ADD/ADHD, or both. It is very common for a child to have both issues. Researchers state that at least 40% of children with dyslexia also have ADD/ADHD. ADD/ADHD comes by itself only about 25% of the time. 75% of the time, someone with ADD/ADHD has at least one other condition. The most common secondary condition is dyslexia. If a child had only ADD/ADHD, the child will NOT struggle with spelling, reading, telling time on a clock with hands, or be confused about left versus right or b versus d. These are warning signs of dyslexia. It is now recommended as "best practice" that if a child has been diagnosed with EITHER dyslexia or ADD/ADHD, the child should automatically be tested for the other condition. If a child has both conditions, then both conditions need to be addressed and treated. Otherwise, the child won't make the type or rate of progress you would expect. The warning signs of dyslexia are quite different from the warning signs of ADD/ADHD. - Is it Dyslexia?
Q: My 11 year old son is very bright but is failing in school. He has many of the warning signs of dyslexia. I'm not sure which direction to take, but I need to do something to help him. His self esteem is suffering, as well as his school work.
Q: My 13 year old has a problem with reading. The school tested him recently. He's in 7th grade. His reading is low, his reading comprehension is low, and his vocabulary is at the third grade level. The tester said he tested very high in listening skills and feels that is how my son is getting passing grades. I'm wondering if he has other problems that the school may be missing.
Q: My daughter was tested last year and found to have Learning Disabilities in the areas of basic reading skills and reading comprehension. Her writing skills were also very low, but she tested at normal levels when allowed to present the answers orally. Could she have dyslexia?
Q: My 2nd grader reads okay, but she's terrible at spelling. She has many of the warning signs of dyslexia, but the school says she can't have dyslexia because she can read.
A: Most children with dyslexia can read, but they rarely get beyond a fourth-grade reading level because they are reading in a very different way than the rest of us. They are not reading by sounding out the words. Instead, they are reading by memorizing the shapes of words and guessing based on pictures and context.
Someone who reads slowly and inaccurately (guessing at words or skipping unknown words) will have poor reading comprehension scores.
Most people expand their vocabulary by reading. Since children with dyslexia hate to read, their vocabulary may not grow at a normal rate -- unless someone reads to them often or provides books on audiotape.
Children with dyslexia have a very unusual pattern of strengths and weaknesses.
Their weakest area is written expression. Their compositions are full of spelling errors, grammatical errors, punctuation errors, and capitalization errors. And it can be very difficult to read their handwriting.
Spelling words in isolation is also hard. If they spend hours every night studying a list of 20 spelling words, they may be able to get most of them right on Friday morning's spelling test. But by Friday afternoon, they can't remember how to spell them.
So their reading isn't great, spelling single words on spelling tests is tough, but their weakest skill of all is written composition.
If a child is struggling in those areas, and has 3 or more of the warning signs of dyslexia, get that child tested for dyslexia -- outside of the public school system.
- My daughter has a 504 Plan, but her teacher says the accommodations are not fair.
A: The only way to change the attitude of teachers is with new information.
So you can either:
1. Encourage teachers to read this website (or print a copy and give it to each teacher).
2. Hire Bonnie O’Shields, the director of The Literacy and Learning Center, to give an in-service training at your child's school. To discuss this option, call our office at 864-855-0122.
3. Set up a one-hour meeting with the teachers. Bring in one of our videos on dyslexia and watch it together. Show any of these one-hour videos:
· Could it be Dyslexia?
· Dyslexia: Testing & Teaching
· Classroom Accommodations for Dyslexic Students
These can also be shown at staff meetings, PTA meetings, or parent support group meetings. - My son's teacher doesn't believe in dyslexia.
A: The only way to change the attitude of teachers is with new information.
So you can either:
1. Encourage teachers to read this website (or print a copy and give it to each teacher).
2. Hire Bonnie O’Shields, the director of The Literacy and Learning Center, to give an in-service training at your child's school. To discuss this option, call our office at 864-855-0122.
3. Set up a one-hour meeting with the teachers. Bring in one of our videos on dyslexia and watch it together. Show any of these one-hour videos:
· Could it be Dyslexia?
· Dyslexia: Testing & Teaching
· Classroom Accommodations for Dyslexic Students
These can also be shown at staff meetings, PTA meetings, or parent support group meetings. - Special Ed isn't working?
Q: My 5th grade son has dyslexia. He has had an IEP for 4 years, but it hasn't helped him. I have been told that legally, the school must supply him with certain things. Is that true? A: The school must provide whatever services or materials are on his IEP. If he is not getting those, request an IEP meeting and fix that. A: If he is getting the services promised on the IEP, but he is not meeting the educational goals on the IEP, the school should either increase the frequency or intensity of their services, or try a different teaching approach or system. If he is getting the services promised on the IEP, and he is meeting the educational goals on the IEP, but the "gap" between his abilities and his grade level is not closing, then request an IEP meeting to change the goals. The parent is, by law, an equal member of the IEP team. A parent can request an IEP meeting at any time, and the IEP can be changed at any time. If you don't like what the school is proposing on the IEP, you do NOT have to sign it. In the IEP process, parents are their child's advocate. To be an effective advocate, you must know your child's rights and how the system works. An excellent source of information on the IEP process is the book, From Emotions to Advocacy, by Peter and Pam Wright. - Testing Outside the School?
Q: My school said they don't test for dyslexia. They said it is a medical problem. But my child's doctor said dyslexia is an educational problem, and the school should test for it. Help! Q: My son is 10. He's having an extremely difficult time in school. Please send me a list of physicians who can test our son. Q: Who should test my child for dyslexia? Is testing covered by insurance? A: Although dyslexia is caused by an inherited brain difference, medical insurance does NOT cover testing for dyslexia. Most medical doctors do not know how to test for dyslexia. They consider it an educational problem. Dyslexia is not due to a visual problem, so do NOT take your child to an eye doctor for testing. Beware of any optometrist who recommends Vision Therapy. Vision therapy will NOT help someone who has dyslexia. To find out if your child has dyslexia, your child should be tested by a dyslexia expert -- outside of the public school system. You will have to pay for it yourself, but it is an excellent investment in your child's future. - What kind of tutoring?
Q: His junior high teacher said my son was lazy and unmotivated, but he swore he was doing his best. Now he is flunking out of high school -- 4 F's and 3 D's. The school just brushes him off as "a bad kid." He's in Special Ed for English, and has been for years, but he still can't read or write well. His self-esteem is near zero. We're afraid he's going to drop out, or turn to drugs or alcohol. He has 20 of the warning signs of dyslexia . Do you think a Sylvan Learning Center would help?
Q: My third grader is struggling with reading. She's had an IEP for 2 years, is getting special help at school PLUS private tutoring for 9 months. She still does not reading well. What should we do? Q: My 13 year old daughter currently receives tutoring at school. I do not believe she is getting what she needs to succeed in her education. Can you help? A: The reading, spelling, and writing skills of someone with dyslexia can improve dramatically -- but only with the right kind of tutoring: one-on-one tutoring by someone certified in an Orton-Gillingham-based system, such as The Wilson Reading System. Most Sylvan Learning Centers do not offer this type of tutoring. Nor do most of the other commercial tutoring centers. Unfortunately, neither do most public or private schools. Most Reading Specialists and Resource Specialists have never been trained in an Orton-Gillingham-based system -- not in college or elsewhere. Yet the Orton-Gillingham method provides exactly what research by the National Institutes of Health has proven to be effective for children with dyslexia: a simultaneously multisensory, systematic, explicit phonics approach that requires no memorization, and that teaches in ways that improve both reading and spelling -- and shows how they're related. The National Reading Panel also recommended this approach for all struggling readers. Reading Recovery is NOT going to help a child with dyslexia. Neither will Hooked on Phonics or The Phonics Game. So parents need to hire a private tutor who is certified in an Orton-Gillingham-based system to tutor their child at least twice a week, one-on-one, for an hour each time. - Where are you located at?
Please click here for an interactive map and directions to our location.
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